Military Experience Credit, SOS Updates, Liability Suspension and Exam Schedules

Thanks veterans, for your service and, yes it counts in becoming a licensed contractor.  For another contractor I pull an Officer out of a hat! When is anything ‘technically’ untrue?…

Q: I am interested in getting my “C-10” electrical license. I served in the military and during my time I was a certified cabling and wiring installer. Does that count towards experience to obtain the license?

A: Absolutely! Also, if you have a copy of your DD-214 to submit with your application, the CSLB will expedite the processing of your application.

Q: We need to update the Officers on our contractor’s license. We have updated the CA Secretary of State already. None of the current Officers listed on the license are still with the company. How do we go about doing that and can you help with the process?

A: It’s always a little tricky to update Officers when all of the individuals listed on the license are no longer with the company and you don’t have access to any of their signatures, but we can definitely help with the process. You are on the right track with updating the Secretary of State first. You will need to submit an application for additional personnel for each individual that you are adding. Each individual will need to be fingerprinted once the CSLB accepts the application. Please give me a call if you would like our assistance with the process!

Q: Our license is currently Suspended because the liability insurance is showing as expired even though we have submitted an updated COI twice. We are unable to pull permits, so this is really putting us in a rough position. Are we still permitted to work with the Suspended license knowing the information the CSLB has is technically untrue?

A: No, you are not supposed to be working with a Suspended license. The CSLB is a bit behind with updating insurances, but you can rest assured that once they get to it for processing, they will retroactively put your license back to Active (assuming there is no break in the insurance and it’s not over 90 days expired). There’s a possibility the insurance certificate is not acceptable for some reason. You can email it to me, and I can review. The CSLB is very particular about certain items on the certificate.

Q: How soon after I submit an application for a new license can I expect to be required to sit for the exams? I want to make sure I have plenty of time to study!

A: The CSLB processing times vary. Currently, you can expect to be approved to sit for the exams within about 5-6 weeks. Once you are approved, it is up to you to schedule the exams. They give you 18 months to pass so that should leave you plenty of time of study. You can also choose to take the exams quickly; PSI can usually get you in within a week or two if you decide to move quickly. Good luck!